Harvard Law School to accept GRE scores for J.D Programme

Starting fall 2017, Harvard Law School will be accepting GRE scores for admission to their three year Juris Doctor programme.

The announcement was made on Wednesday, March 8. This pilot project is an outcome of a Harvard Law School study carried out in 2016 evaluating the Graduate Record Examination scores of previous students who had taken both GRE and LSAT. The study aimed to determine the validity of GRE as a predictor of first-year academic performance at the Law School. Statistics proved that GRE was “an equally valid predictor” as LSAT. The study was carried out in accordance with American Bar Association (ABA) Standards for Legal Education.

According to the announcement, this step is an attempt to diversify the community in terms of academic background, country of origin, and financial circumstances. “Harvard Law School is continually working to eliminate barriers as we search for the most talented candidates for law and leadership,” said HLS Dean Martha Minow. She added, “For these students, international students, multidisciplinary scholars, and joint-degree students, the GREis a familiar and accessible test, and using it is a great way to reach candidates not only for law school, but for tackling the issues and opportunities society will be facing.”

Admissions to law schools in USA, Canada and a few other countries are done through Law School Admission Test (LSAT) which is controlled by Law School Admission Council (LSAC).